Your time has come to leave Angelos Island and trade in the orange and black for your most unlikely second MLB franchise – the Evil Empire and the pinstripes of the dreaded New York Yankees.

Instead of back in black, you’ll be back in blue next week.

Start spreading the news, you’re leaving today! And much like Manny Machado, this is very likely the road to City Y on the way to City X.

On the grandest stage and pitching into October – well, we think they’ll actually put you in the game in The Bronx – you’ll have a chance to throw your way back into something that looks like the contract you probably deserved after what you did here from 2014 through 2016.

I remember Don Stanhouse from my youth. I saw Gregg Olson drop deuces on 33rd Street into his prime. And I watched all of the rent-a-hats from Don Aase to Lee Smith to crazy-ass Randy Myers around here and you are the king of the firemen in the Charm City.

The closest thing I ever saw to Eckersley – and that’s high praise even if you’re not on the Red Sox charter!

No one ever did it better than you, Zach!

And I’m not holding my breathe to think we’ve ever going to see it again, late into summer nights, as Orioles fans with games on the line in money spots. The first thing we’ll need to see to ever replicate anything resembling you will be late-inning leads. And methinks there won’t be a lot of those in the pipeline in the coming years in Baltimore.

There are so many “what ifs?” around your dozen years with the Baltimore Orioles organization. I’m sure you were taking that all in – out in the bullpen for the final time on Tuesday night. Like Machado and Markakis and a few others of the modern era who “made it out” with big-time productivity and contracts with lots of zeroes, you remember the slums of Fort Lauderdale every spring and that time long ago when all the organization that drafted you did was finish in last place.

We do, too!

You were a part of changing that around here and we’ll forever salute you!

I remember your youth and promise. The whole Arrieta, Matusz, Tillman class of “growing the arms.” And now a decade later, we start to see the history of buying the bats.

Those of us who have been paying attention can easily piece together who is where, and why?

As much as the folks who watched you dazzle and become the most automatic finisher this side of the best of Eckersley in his prime, you will always be remembered – and tied to – Buck Showalter’s epic fail in Toronto in October 2016. It will forever be the black hole of modern day Orioles baseball – how a baseball genius left Ubaldo Jimenez on the hill and you in your prime on the pine at Skydome with the season on the line in extra innings.

As you kinda pointed out last week on your media exit tour, it’s still inexplicable and irreversible. It always will be, even for Buck.

It took the Baltimore Orioles 14 years to solve the Armando Benitez-Tony Fernandez bomb in 1997.

Who knows how long this current back in (the) black hole era will last? And who made who?

We’re just getting started around here with the coronation of Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers and Cody Carroll and the eight new baby Birds on the farm from this July haul and heist of the Dodgers and Yankees.

In the future, the Orioles will need dirty deeds done dirt cheap in the late innings.

Buck will fairly get his chunky and complex #DearOrioles letter later – and it certainly would be unfair to judge him solely on a pitch you never threw in Canada – but his story and yours are forever tied to Toronto and that fateful night. It’ll be the last time the Baltimore Orioles will have a chance to win a postseason MLB game for a long

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I’ve written a lot of #DearOrioles notes this summer ­– with many more coming to everyone in management and some of your poor teammates who shall remain on the S.S. Angelos for at least three more hours of the tour – and I needed to move yours a little earlier in the batting order than I wanted.

Let’s face it, you might not be here by the time I hit “publish” on this old-fashioned love letter.

So, if I stray off into the future tense or refer to your Orioles sweater in the past tense, well, that’s just me keeping it real.

You indicated earlier this week that your bags are packed but your head has been in the future here for a long time, Manny.

I’m not really sure how much time you ever spent thinking about remaining with the Baltimore Orioles after 2018 – my guess is you didn’t lose a lot of sleep over it because it never was a reality in the moment or a “decision to make” because my other guess is that the Angelos family never really approached you with anything you’d take seriously.

That’s the Oriole Way. As you can tell from my #DearOrioles letters, I’ve been at this a long time.

I honestly had to look up your birthday to put it in perspective.

I didn’t realize the week you were born was the worst week of my life.

I was sitting in the Oriole Park at Camden Yards press box on July 1, 1992 when I took an urgent call that my father had a stroke in Dundalk. You were born on July 6. My Pop died on July 11, 1992. I was sitting in a hospital watching my father leave the planet as you were in one in Hialeah, Florida entering this crazy sphere.

It’s really weird that you were born AFTER Camden Yards opened. You’re a baby, bro!

There’s no way you can understand what my eyes have seen professionally here in Baltimore as a sports journalist.

I’ve seen, talked about, written about and heard about everything except the story where the future Hall of Fame franchise every day player – the modern day Cal Ripken or Brooks Robinson – walks off at 26 to a rival franchise leaving behind whatever remnants that a desperate July fire sale will bring a MLB team with a lame duck leadership group.

I thought I had seen the worst of Orioles tragic in those 14 years of losing that made up your life from age 5 until you walked on the field in Texas that night in 2012 as a 20-year old. And when you lost in Game 5 in New York in the ALDS, you probably thought the playoffs would be a pretty regular occurrence around here just like Ripken did in 1983.

But here we are six summers later, your timer is about to go off and the franchise is 40 games under .500 in the summer of 2018 and holding an open auction for eight weeks of your services.

And we all sorta know that by Opening Day 2019, you’ll probably wind up with the New York Yankees, which as you witnessed with Mark Teixeira will make you a “special” kind of visitor here in Camden Yards in the future.

But as you’ve learned, there’s no one “special” in the Baltimore Orioles organization except the owner himself. (Well, and maybe Chris Davis and Brady Anderson, but I’ll save their #DearOrioles love letters for long after you’re gone. They ain’t going anywhere.)

Manny, you’re unique – but you’re not “special.”

If I had my press credential and really knew you, we could talk all about the history of free agency and the decisions of Peter Angelos. I’ve only met you once – in the clubhouse at CitiField in New York before the 2013 All Star Game. You seemed like a decent, unassuming fellow then when I introduced myself. Like I said, a baby – you turned 21 that week!

Ten minutes later, Adam Jones asked me on the field why Peter Angelos hated me so much. It took me a book to explain it. It’s called The Peter Principles. You should check it out.

There’s certainly a lot of history in there that pertains to you as to why you’ve done what you’ve done and never been offered a couple of hundred million of Angelos money to stick around and be a part of something “special.”

And, honestly, if these Orioles folks weren’t so crazy petty and vain and paranoid, you’d be wearing a Dodgers or Yankees or Brewers or Diamondbacks hat when you come out to tip it in D.C. next week. I’m betting the “over” on July 18th being your trade date.

The Orioles are gonna milk you for one more sideshow on the way out the door.

I don’t get it.

You are one rolled ankle or hamstring pull away from being a

Comments Off on Dear Manny Machado: Don’t let the door hit you between 1 and 3 en route to City X via City Y

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado was removed from the starting lineup just before first pitch Tuesday night in Anaheim.

The reigning American League platinum glove leader was scratched with “back tightness” according to the team. Machado has no previous history with back injuries-he missed the first month of the 2014 season as he recovered from knee surgery.

Ryan Flaherty played in Machado’s place at third base and hit ninth in the lineup against the Los Angeles Angels. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop was moved up to the seventh spot in the lineup with Machado out.

O’s manager Buck Showalter told reporters after the game Machado was day-to-day with the injury. The skipper described the injury as “spasms” and noted that Machado told him only minutes before the game he couldn’t play.

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Baltimore Orioles 3B Manny Machado went 3-4 with two doubles, a triple and two runs scored for the Frederick Keys in his first rehab appearance Friday.

Machado received his first organized at-bats since his 2013 season ended abruptly due to a knee injury.

The All-Star worked as the Single A (Carolina League)’s Designated Hitter in a 5-3 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The Birds had hoped to have him play in the field Friday night but rainy conditions at Harry Grove Stadium scrapped those plans.

The team’s former first round pick was pleased with the work he got in his first outing but realized it did not put him on the fast track to a return to the major leagues. Here is what Machado told MLB.com after the game Friday night…

“I feel good at the plate. I feel good overall, running the bases, which is the most important thing.”

“First game under the lights, first game in front of a big crowd like this, so it’s definitely a big obstacle we’ve crossed and hopped over. So hopefully we can continue it, and as soon as possible get back out there.”

“If I would have hit four home runs, I’m not going to go tomorrow and play in the big leagues. It’s not how it works. I wish it was that easy. But this is just a process. It’s not how many hits I get or how many plays I make. It’s more getting a feel for it, playing nine innings, being on your feet for the whole game. There’s a lot of things that come into play before just having a good game.”

MLB.com also reported Machado is expected to play nine innings at third base for the Keys Saturday and will stay with the team through Sunday before being re-evaluated. The next step would likely see Machado joining the Orioles’ AA (Bowie) or AAA (Norfolk) affiliate to make final preparations for his 2014 big league debut.

Machado had been playing in extended Spring Training games in Sarasota for roughly the past week.

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NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2013 — Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. a subsidiary of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH), announced that Baltimore Orioles™ third baseman Manny Machado and Atlanta Braves™ shortstop Andrelton Simmons won the 2013 Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™ presented by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in their respective Leagues. The winners were unveiled tonight during the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® Ceremony presented by Gold Sport Collectibles at The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, where the game’s defensive stars accepted their hardware from some of the baseball’s greatest legends.

Simmons won the closest vote yet in the 3-year history of the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, with first and third place separated by only 0.5 percent of the total vote. The second-year shortstop and first-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner edged St. Louis Cardinals™ catcher and 2-time defending Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner Yadier Molina, 20.2 percent to 20.0 percent, with Milwaukee Brewers™ center fielder Carlos Gomez finishing third with 19.7 percent.

This year marked the third presentation of the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award presented by the Society for American Baseball Research, and the first year where sabermetrics was integrated into the selection process. In the previous two years, the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners were selected solely by fans via an online vote on Rawlings’ website. The international fan vote remains an essential component to determine the Award winner.

“When we launched the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award fan inclusion platform in 2011, we knew that baseball fans worldwide followed all aspects of the game,” said Kurt Hunzeker, senior director of brand marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings. “They see the great plays on the field and follow with the same level of avidity the advanced statistics that highlight all factors that go into making a great play in the field. Their selection of Manny and Andrelton – the sabermetrically best defenders in baseball this year – as ‘The Finest in the Field’ only amplifies our new collaboration with SABR as an immediate and resounding success.”

Both players led numerous defensive metrics categories, including the SABR Defensive Index (SDI). Machado’s 32.4 SDI led all of baseball, with Simmons’ 29.3 SDI pacing the National League™. The SDI accounted for approximately 25 percent of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process.

“It’s exciting to see the convergence of defensive metrics and fan voting,” said Vince Gennaro, president of SABR and chair of the SABR Fielding Committee. “It shows that technology is allowing us to improve our measurement and that these measures are influencing fans’ choices.”

Voting began at the conclusion of the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Announcement Show presented by American Airlines on ESPN2’s “Baseball Tonight” on October 29, 2013, and ran for one week. Fan discussion surrounding the Award on social media was fostered in part by some team’s open campaigning for their nominee. ESPN’s Karl Ravech and SABR’s Gennaro announced the winners live on stage during the Hollywood award show format.

Molina and Texas Rangers™ third baseman Adrian Beltre each won the two previous Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards in each League.

The full list of SDIs for all qualified players eligible for a 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award will be available on Saturday, November 9, 2013, on SABR’s website (www.sabr.org).

2013 Fielding Bible Awards

Six First-Time Winners/Three Repeat Winners

Goldschmidt, Gomez, Machado, Parra, Simmons
Win for the first time

Gordon, Molina, Pedroia win again

“If you want to be viewed as the best—bar none—then you want to win The Fielding Bible Award at your position.” says John Dewan, co-author of The Fielding Bible III and owner of Baseball Info Solutions. “The Bill James Handbook, which hits the bookstores on November 1, announces six new players and three returning players as worthy of the honor for their fielding par excellence during the 2013 season.”

“Andrelton Simmons set a single-season record (since we started tracking Defensive Runs Saved in 2003) by saving 41 runs at shortstop for the Atlanta Braves,” Dewan points out. “And Simmons had company breaking the record. Gerardo Parra saved 36 runs in right field for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013. But with four more runs saved in center field and one run saved in left, Parra also had 41total Defensive Runs Saved and joined Simmons with the highest runs saved performances on record. They were, without a doubt, the best fielders last year at their position, regardless of league. On top of those two, Carlos Gomez saved 38 runs for the Milwaukee Brewers playing center field. And Manny Machado had 35 runs saved for the Baltimore Orioles at third base. They, too, deserved singular recognition.”

“So, four players set or tied the previous record for most Defensive Runs Saved in a season at their position,” notes Dewan. “Four players who had never received a Fielding Bible Award or Gold Glove in their careers. Until now. All four players were rewarded with their first Fielding Bible Awards. In addition, we chose Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks at first base and R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays at pitcher—both for the first time as well.”

“The twelve expert panelists on the Fielding Bible Awards panel, including Peter Gammons, Bill James, Brian Kenny, and Joe Posnanski,” Dewan concludes, “also gave Fielding Bible Awards to Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox for second base, Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals for left field, and Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher—Pedroia for the second time in three years, Gordon for the second time in a row, and Molina for an amazing sixth time. Does anyone really doubt that Yadier has been the best-fielding catcher in either league for the last decade?”

There were five winners this year from National League teams and four from American League teams. In 2012 it was a 5-4 advantage to the AL, in 2011 it was 5-4 in favor of the NL, and in 2010 it was s 5-3-1 split for the AL (with Jack Wilson splitting his time at shortstop between leagues with Pittsburgh and Seattle).
The 2013 Fielding Bible Award winners are:

It goes without saying that Baltimore isn’t quite yet embracing this 2012 version of Baltimore Orioles pennant fever. No matter how dramatic the victories or how unlikely this late August run for postseason glory seems, nothing about The Birds has moved the sports fans of Maryland.

Even into the great beyond via the long reach of MASN – not to mention the reach into your pockets every month like a public utility – for whatever reason people aren’t coming back in droves to give King Peter Angelos their money to watch the likes of Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and even boy wonder Manny Machado, who has been worth the price of admission alone this week.

Oh, I know I’m being “Negative Nestor” by even writing this blog when the Orioles are winning baseball games and on the verge of a sweep of the hated Boston Red Sox. But every time the TV cameras pan the more than half-empty stadium, I can’t help but thinking the same thing you’re thinking: “I wonder why people aren’t going to Camden Yards to support this winning team?”

Yeah, we all thought Camden Yards would be packed once the Orioles started winning. And as the team closes a 10-game homestand tonight in full control of a wild card berth and still within striking distance of the New York Yankees, a true “pennant fever” atmosphere has yet to emerge in Baltimore.

It seems that a few months of prosperity hasn’t wiped out 14 years of bad vibes, bad baseball, steroid needles, lies from the owner and the emergence of the Washington Nationals as the regional team with marketing legs and, dare we say, “Natitude.”

And here’s where we’ll piss off both side of the Baltimore fence.

I have one question for you: “Are you excited about the Baltimore Ravens’ upcoming season?”

My gut is that you just yelled, “YES!”

My gut also says that your neighbor is excited, your cousins, your co-workers, the folks in your social group – wherever your friends and loved ones reside — they’re ready to don purple and are counting down the minutes until the 7 p.m. kickoff on Monday, Sept. 10 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

I’m not sure when it became sort of fashionable to only support one of the two teams in Baltimore and perhaps for the younger generation there has never been a good time to embrace the Orioles. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m ready for Ravens’ season and that my love for the purple guys has superseded my spirit and energy for the Orioles. But I do love them both. And I will support them both equally for what it means for Baltimore to have a winning sports team and a chance to hang red, white and blue bunting here in October.

And, somehow during this emergence of the purple birds of Baltimore since 1996, this weird kind of divide has occurred here in the Charm City where some folks only have enough “love” – if not dollars and time and energy – for one of the two teams.

Do you know people who love the Orioles and have no use for football or the Ravens? Almost to the point where they root against the purple birds in football season?

I do.

And, conversely, from what I can tell there are a myriad of people everywhere around town who are fervent Baltimore Ravens fans and have long-since given up following the Orioles on a nightly basis, even now that the team on the field is representative of the community’s desire for hard work, overachieving and beating the Yankees and Red Sox.

I don’t know anyone who has a basement that is an homage to the Orioles these days, despite the fact that you get 162 chances to enjoy games vs. just 16 that count.

I also admit that the amount of hours necessary to follow the Orioles is extraordinary. It’s a lifestyle commitment to watch four hours of baseball six nights a week for six months. It’s almost like a full-time job if you’re going to vest into MLB fandom.

And certainly this isn’t a new phenomenon for sports teams anywhere in America. It seems that there’s plenty of love for all four sports teams in places like Boston, Philadelphia, etc. where the seasons and the reasons all seem to blur together into a full calendar of activity and passion.

But it might be time to ask, “Where’s the emotional investment for Baltimore fans?”

Is it possible that you only have room in your heart — or wallet — for one successful local team?